Cultural policy - Culture ministers want to designate seven sites as World Heritage Sites
The Olympic Park in Munich, the television tower in Stuttgart and the Zehlendorf forest estate in Berlin are to become World Heritage Sites. The culture ministers have put a total of seven sites on the corresponding list for Unesco. Corresponding proposals for a decision by the United Nations cultural organization were made during a special meeting on Monday, as announced by the expert panel in Berlin.
An advisory board had previously recognized a corresponding potential in the approved sites, most of which are also on the World Heritage List for previously underrepresented categories or types. Each federal state had the opportunity to submit two applications. A total of 21 applications from 13 countries were submitted to the experts for consideration. No applications were received from Bremen, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein.
According to the information provided, the decisive factors for a positive evaluation were, in addition to the potential for exceptional worldwide significance, consideration of the "Global Strategy for a Representative, Balanced and Credible World Heritage List".
The Zehlendorf Forest Settlement is ranked first in the recommendation "because it completes an existing World Heritage Site". According to Unesco, the six Berlin Modernist housing estates already inscribed - Gartenstadt Falkenberg, Schillerpark-Siedlung, Hufeisensiedlung, Wohnstadt Carl Legien, Weiße Stadt and Großsiedlung Siemensstadt - are "an expression of the political, social, cultural and technical progress made in Berlin during the Weimar Republic".
The Schöningen spear site in Lower Saxony was also proposed as a site for wooden throwing spears from the Palaeolithic period. The Pretzien Weir in Saxony-Anhalt has also been proposed as a World Heritage Site. This central part of a large-scale flood protection system on the Elbe above Magdeburg was put into operation in 1875.
A joint project between North Rhine-Westphalia, France, Italy and Portugal is the "European Large Arch Bridges of the 19th Century", including the Müngsten Bridge. This 107-metre high railroad bridge crosses the Wupper between Remscheid and Solingen. The proposal "Celtic Power Centers of the Early Iron Age Northwest of the Alps", in which Baden-Württemberg and Hesse are cooperating with France, is also international.
To round off the proposals, the list includes the Stuttgart television tower as an "archetype and symbol of modern mass communication" and the Munich Olympic Park center created for the 1972 Summer Olympics with "various outstanding and largely pioneering individual achievements".
With today's decision, the Conference of Culture Ministers is acknowledging its special responsibility for the cultural heritage of the German federal states, according to the current chairman, Lower Saxony's Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs.
According to the information, the World Heritage List currently includes 1157 sites in 167 countries. With 51 World Heritage Sites, Germany is currently in third place worldwide after Italy (58) and China (56). In terms of cultural heritage sites, Germany (48) is in second place after Italy (53).
Recommendations
Read also:
The special meeting in Berlin discussed the potential of the Zehlendorf Forest Settlement in Berlin to become a World Heritage Site, as it completes an existing World Heritage Site in Berlin. The culture ministers also proposed the Olmpic Park in Munich as a World Heritage Site, recognizing its importance as the center created for the 1972 Summer Olympics. The Munich Olympic Park is known for its various outstanding and pioneering individual achievements.
The Stuttgart television tower was proposed as an archetype and symbol of modern mass communication, highlighting its importance in the field of media and communication. In a joint project with France, Italy, and Portugal, North Rhine-Westphalia proposed the "European Large Arch Bridges of the 19th Century", including the Müngsten Bridge in Germany.
The Schöningen spear site in Lower Saxony was proposed as a site for wooden throwing spears from the Palaeolithic period. The Pretzien Weir in Saxony-Anhalt has also been proposed as a World Heritage Site, representing a central part of a large-scale flood protection system on the Elbe. The "Celtic Power Centers of the Early Iron Age Northwest of the Alps" is a cooperative project between Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, and France.
Unfortunately, no applications were received from Bremen, Saarland, and Schleswig-Holstein. According to the information, the World Heritage List currently includes 1157 sites in 167 countries, making Germany the third country worldwide in terms of World Heritage Sites, with 51 sites. In terms of cultural heritage sites, Germany is currently in second place after Italy.
The special meeting in Berlin emphasized the importance of cultural policy in recognizing and preserving the cultural heritage of the German federal states. The decision to designate these seven sites as World Heritage Sites reinforces Germany's commitment to preserving and promoting its cultural heritage on a global scale. The Unesco and the UN continue to play a crucial role in this regard, ensuring that these sites are protected and valued as world heritage.
Source: www.stern.de
